Anyone else's life revolve around medications?

I just take three meds- my birth control, singulair, and clarinex. I have a hard time remembering to take the BC, so I just take everything at night- usually midnight oddly enough. I never really know how late I'll have to stay at work, but I've never stayed later than 11:30, so midnight works well. I'd like to get back on the BC patch- since you only have to remember it once a week.

I hate taking antibiotics because of all the restrictions. I was prescribed a really expensive antibiotic a couple of months ago, when I had an upper resp. infection. The doctor agreed to prescribe a generic, after the pharmacist called. The generic involved taking four pills a day- two at a time and I had a hard enough time with that! It's hard to schedule eating times around medicine. I never got how my clients could effectively take their anti-retroviral medicines- some would have 20+ pills a day, plus limitations on when they could take them, with what, and how!

I have to take lots of pills too. I take Tegretol and Topomax for seizures and Birth control. The Tegretol I take twice a day and the others I take once a day. I also take vitamin B once at night, L-Lysine two pills in the am and one at night,
calcium two at night,and cran-max one at night. I take these because of all the side effects of the prescribed meds, mood swings, cold sores, yeast infections, poor immune system, all good things like that. But I guess I'd rather do this the rest of my life then have seizures, those scare me terribly. I'd rather swallow the pills...

Well, I missed my fourth pill yesterday. Timing just didn't work out.

Since I'm supposed to take it at least one hour before and at least two hours after any food or drink other than water and not supposed to lie down for at least one hour after taking one, that leaves only six hours in the day when one is "allowed" to eat meals or snacks, assuming the first pill is taken immediately upon wakening and that one sleeps eight hours. That is precious little time for flexibility of timing. I have a feeling I'm going to lose weight on this regime - and I don't need to lose any more weight.

Originally Posted by twofatcats

I AM HATING THIS! I was put on tetracycline a couple of days ago, and does that ever cramp my style! I'm used to eating, drinking juice, or sleeping any time of the day or night, but with a medication like that, one's whole life has to revolve around the timing for the blankety blank med. Yikes! I'm supposed to take this thing four times a day. One must take it at least one hour before a food and at least two hours after. That means there are many hours of the day that I can't be eating! HORRORS!

No more grabbing a handful of nuts or peanuts every time I go by the dish. No more sipping fruit juice for an hour or more while I get on the computer first thing in the morning.

No more sipping a margarita for a couple of hours while I'm on the computer or sewing before dinner.

No more taking a nap whenever I feel like it,

as then I wouldn't be able to get my food and medication "on schedule."

Anyone else have their whole life ruled by their medication?

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Twofatcats, I think you are needlessly driving yourself nutty over this. Not sure why you are talking Tetracycline, but you stomach does not have to be as empty as the Grand Caynon. A small snack, like those peanuts you mentioned would be fine, as long as you don't eat an Elephant sized serving. When I worked in the hospital, antibiotics when they were ordered QID meaning four times a day, were given on a schedule of 9am, 1pm, 5 pm and 9 pm. Who gave you such strict orders, the medication pamphlet from the pharmacy, or did the doctor tell you to follow the orders you are talking about. Again a lot depends why you are taking this and for how long. Ask yout doctor, what he/she wants you to do. Good luck!

Mom of Franz - Both the doctor and the pharmacist indicated that I should not eat for an hour before or two hours after taking the medication. He also warned me about magnesium and calcium in particular. Here is what the package insert says:

DO NOT LIE DOWN for 30 minutes after taking this medicine. Unless directed otherwise by your doctor, take this medicine 1 hour before or 2 hours after meals. Take this medicine 2-3 hours before or after taking any products containing magnesium, aluminum, or calcium. Some examples include quinapril, didanosine, vitamins/minerals, antacids, dairy products (e.g., milk or yogurt), calcium-enriched juice, sucralfate, bismuth subsalicylate, iron, and zinc. These products bind with tetracycline preventing its full absorption.

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By the way, I do take both calcium and magnesium supplements. Until I read this, I'd been going by the one-hour before or two-hours after on this, too. Following these instructions would make it more restrictive yet. And I see one of the drug interactions sites on the web recommends 3-4 hours!

Yes, I know one CAN eat. But if it interferes with the absorption of the medication, what's the point of taking the medication? It looks to me like peanuts contain a fair amount of magnesium, too. I don't know how much it takes to be a problem.

A small snack, like those peanuts you mentioned would be fine, as long as you don't eat an Elephant sized serving.

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Oh, oh. Mom, you caught me! A couple of weeks ago I looked at the one-pound jar of peanuts and realized I had eaten almost half of it in 24 hours! Not good for someone who is trying to watch her saturated fat intake. So I've been trying to be a good girl since then. It is very hard, though. I do like to eat, and nuts/peanuts are among my weaknesses.

I think I'm going to call my doctor next week and see if she can put me on a schedule of taking the med fewer times a day. I know I didn't have to take it this often when I was on it for acne. I don't know if one takes a higher dosage if it is given fewer times. If that's the case, I suspect she feared that I would have stomach problems with this. She'd been a bit reluctant to prescribe it, as I'd had bad stomach problems with doxycycline, and she said the tetracycline was usually worse. So she may have thought I'd be less likely to have problems with a lower dose each time. So far, I've had zero indication of a problem, though.

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/d...r/a682098.html
This site says wait the hour before, and two hours after a meal, too.
But I think the calcium/magnesium warning is mainly against the supplements. "Be aware that antacids, calcium supplements, iron products, and laxatives containing magnesium interfere with tetracycline, making it less effective. Take tetracycline 1 hour before or 2 hours after antacids (including sodium bicarbonate), calcium supplements, and laxatives containing magnesium. Take tetracycline 2 hours before or 3 hours after iron preparations and vitamin products that contain iron. " AND
"Drink a full glass of water with each dose of tetracycline. Take tetracycline on an empty stomach, 1 hour before or 2 hours after meals or snacks. Do not take tetracycline with food, especially dairy products such as milk and cheese. Take tetracycline with crackers or a snack (no dairy products) only if you experience an upset stomach."
So I think a small amt of food is ok, although an empty stomach might be better. But surely it is better to take the dose with a small amt of food than to skip a dose?!? And is it possible to skip your calcium/magnesium supplements for the few weeks you will be taking tetracycline?

twofatcats said:

I think I'm going to call my doctor next week and see if she can put me on a schedule of taking the med fewer times a day. I know I didn't have to take it this often when I was on it for acne. I don't know if one takes a higher dosage if it is given fewer times.

Good idea! I hope she can give you an easier schedule. Today I take my last dose of a Z-Pack, an antibiotic you take once a day for five days.

I take another med daily that makes me completely nauseous on an empty stomach! I have to take it after a full meal. And dh takes a med for his stomach that he has to take on an empty stomach every morning! But we are both better off with meds!

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But I think the calcium/magnesium warning is mainly against the supplements.

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Well, your source does also say

Take tetracycline with crackers or a snack (no dairy products) only if you experience an upset stomach.

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so that means, essentially no food containing much calcium. My thinking was that if one couldn't have half a cup of skim milk, which provides about 13% of the RDA of calcium, then one shouldn't have one ounce of peanuts, which provides about 14% of the RDA of magnesium, either. Who knows? I haven't been able to find a reference which gives any better idea.

But surely it is better to take the dose with a small amt of food than to skip a dose?!?

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Oh yes, I agree. It is just a matter of timing. When life interrupts and medication and meals get delayed, that puts dose #3 too close to bedtime to be taking another before bed. I thought I'd wake up in the night and take it then like I did the previous night, as I rarely am able to sleep more than four hours without waking up. But I slept until 5:30, so I took the first one for today instead.

And is it possible to skip your calcium/magnesium supplements for the few weeks you will be taking tetracycline?

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Well, that's the conclusion I came to at first. But I fear going without the magnesium for that long, as it helps to keep me from waking up with severe nocturnal leg cramps. When I get them, sometimes the only way to get rid of them is to soak in a warm tub, not something I like to do in the middle of the night! So I've reached the conclusion that maybe if I waited for two hours after my first dose of the med, I could have my cereal with milk (for which I have to wait two hours anyway). I could take my vitamin/mineral supplement, calcium and magnesium all with breakfast. It is not as good as how I was taking them, spread over four times during the day, but it will be better than nothing!

I imagine that if I do have to take this long term again, I'll eventually work out a new schedule that more or less works for me. But what will work is about as far from my previous schedule as one can get!

After a web search, I'm not too hopeful about being able to reduce the number of doses per day. I found a couple of references obviously designed for physicians, which gave the recommendation of tetracyline QID for this purpose, and none which gave the option of BID. I did find a reference which offered the choice of BID or QID for acne, though.

Sounds like you are doing the best you can. That is rather a large intrusion into your life-style. I tried briefly to look up a long acting tetracycline, sounds like they have one for animals. Maybe you could call the vet tomorrow?

Oh, oh. Mom, you caught me! A couple of weeks ago I looked at the one-pound jar of peanuts and realized I had eaten almost half of it in 24 hours! Not good for someone who is trying to watch her saturated fat intake. So I've been trying to be a good girl since then. It is very hard, though. I do like to eat, and nuts/peanuts are among my weaknesses.


I had my nurse-cam set up at your house!

not here THANK GOD!
the only pill i take is birth control

Hey, I know how you feel. I take so many meds (around 20 different ones). I even have insurance and my copays are still in the ball park of $500 a month. And what's more ridiculous is that I have to remember when and how to take each one. This one has to be taken as soon as my alarm goes off and a handful of others can go with it or before I leave for work. Another, 1 hour before I eat breakfast, several more with meals... 2 are taken mid morning with water and again in the afternoon. And a couple before bed on an empty stomach. There are also foods I have to watch out for, over the counter medications that interact with some of them...... and blood glucose testing several times a day! So I can totally relate with your frustration!

OMG, mzjazz2u, you take the honors (if you want to call it that) of having the most horrible medication schedule! I can't even imagine how hard it would be to get that all worked out, especially having to take some at work. My memory is so bad I'd probably forget most of the time at work. At least since I'm home most of the time, if I remember a couple of hours late, I have the flexibility to shift everything later, but that's not so easy with most jobs.

Originally Posted by twofatcats

OMG, mzjazz2u, you take the honors (if you want to call it that) of having the most horrible medication schedule! I can't even imagine how hard it would be to get that all worked out, especially having to take some at work. My memory is so bad I'd probably forget most of the time at work. At least since I'm home most of the time, if I remember a couple of hours late, I have the flexibility to shift everything later, but that's not so easy with most jobs.

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Some of them I have flexibility with. A lot of them I don't. It is a nightmare sometimes because I do forget what I've taken and what I haven't.

By the way.... I didn't want to hijack your thread or anything. Just wanted to let you know I have a feeling I know how you feel!